Minnesota Hockey Journal

December 2014

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Minnesota Wild's Hockey lodge
Features Jenny Potter
Each year, as part of the Wild's State of Hockey Tribute, Wild
curator Roger Godin highlights a Minnesota player in the
team's prime retail outlet at Xcel Energy Center. This year,
for the first time ever, a female player is honored.
That player is recently retired Jenny Potter. Potter
graduated from Edina High School in 1997 before going
on to an outstanding college career at the University
of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
She further defined her career by playing in three
Olympics, earning medals in each. In addition she has
hardware from IIHF Women's World Championships and
Four Nations Cups.
She has since assumed head coaching duties at Trinity
College in Hartford, Conn., and led the lady Bantams to a
10-8-7 record in her first campaign last season.
"I thought it was time to call attention to Jenny," said
Godin, "our most senior elite female player."
Visit Godin's tribute at the Hockey Lodge inside Xcel
Energy Center.
MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // DECEMBER.2014
iMProVing your skating sPeed
Increasing hockey speed is a never-ending
pursuit for most hockey players...or at least
it should be!!
Today's game is much different than it used
to be. The crack-down on "clutch-and-
grab" hockey has really opened up the ice
for the skilled athlete. We are seeing an
exciting shift toward a high-speed, quick-
paced game of skill and finesse... one in
which slower athletes are being left behind...
LITERALLY!
Any smart hockey player should recognize
this change in the game, and should be
constantly striving to increase his or her
hockey speed. But in order to do that, you
must first understand what makes a fast
hockey player.
Hockey speed is composed of Technical
Elements, and Physical Elements. Or in other
words: On-ice Components, and Off-ice
Components.
The on-ice components are things your
skating instructor should be able to help
you with such as utilizing a proper knee
bend, obtaining a full extension on each
stride, eliminating "head-bobbing," striding
at the proper angle, using your edges
properly, etc..
The on-ice elements MUST be perfected in
order to achieve optimal speed. However,
there are three main off-ice components
every player should develop that will
GREATLY ENHANCE his or her ability to
generate speed on the ice.
The three main off-ice components are
as follows:
1. Leg Strength
2. Explosiveness
3. Agility & Footspeed
Increasing leg strength will allow for deeper
knee bends, which make for longer and
more efficient strides. It will also help to
improve balance and stability in battling and
checking situations.
Becoming more explosive will improve that
quick burst of speed, and allow you to win
more races to loose pucks. Races are won or
lost in those first three strides!
Improving Agility and footspeed will allow
you to take more strides in a shorter period
of time. This, combined with an increased
stride length, will complete your speed
equation--allowing you to take a greater
number of longer strides.
There are many ways to improve on these
three main off-ice components.
To work on your skating stride at home,
an excellent training aid is the HockeyShot
Slide Board Pro, which allows you to do
full skating stride pushes and many core
exercises. Become a more explosive skater
with the Slide Board Pro.
HOCKEYSHOT.COM TIP OF THE MONTH: DECEMBER 2014
ADVERTORIAL
NEWS
+
NOTES FROM THE STATE OF HOCKEY
06
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For over 200 great training aids to help you
work on your toe drags and other skills, visit:
www.hockeyshot.com.
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Jenny
Potter